Location
London, London

Hours
Full Time - Standard business hours

Salary
Negotiable

About the Role
The Strategic Planning Manager will lead the development, transformation, and continuous improvement of the SCS Planning Function, ensuring planning remains a key enabler of project delivery, programme assurance, change management, and project completion. Acting as a strategic partner to the Head of Planning, Delivery Units, Project Controls, Risk, Commercial, Technical Services, and PMO teams, this role ensures planning standards, governance, reporting, and systems are consistently applied across SCS.

The Strategic Planning Manager is responsible for driving planning excellence, embedding the "One Team" planning culture, improving visibility of planning across the business, and integrating digital technologies and AI-enabled solutions. This role also provides strategic leadership for Clause 32 processes, programme governance, planning standards, reporting development, Power BI integration, and cross-functional collaboration across the wider SCS structure.

Key responsibilities include supporting the development and implementation of the SCS Planning Strategy and Planning Improvement Roadmap, leading the transition of planning processes and governance to align with the Delivery Unit structure, and assessing and recommending improvements to Clause 32 processes, programme reviews, planning governance, reporting frameworks, P6 structures, and planning assurance requirements. The role also involves developing long-term improvement initiatives that support successful project delivery and completion and acting as a trusted advisor to the Head of Planning on planning strategies.

Additional responsibilities include driving the implementation of a "One Planning Team" approach across SCS, developing and maintaining consistent planning procedures, standards, templates, working methodologies, and assurance arrangements. The role leads planning lessons learned, best practice reviews, maturity assessments, facilitates planning workshops, collaboration forums, and continuous improvement initiatives, and promotes consistency of planning outputs, reporting, and programme management practices across all Delivery Units.

The Strategic Planning Manager will lead the development of modern planning solutions and digital reporting capabilities, collaborating with IT and Data teams to enhance reporting through Power BI, develop data warehouse integration, improve planning automation, reduce manual reporting effort, and investigate and implement AI opportunities within planning, reporting, and project controls.

Experience
- Significant experience in planning and project controls within major infrastructure projects
- Extensive knowledge of NEC contracts and programme management
- Experience in Clause 32 programme submissions, programme governance, change management, PMO integration, risk management, and reporting development
- Advanced Primavera P6 capability
- Experience developing planning standards and procedures
- Strong stakeholder management and facilitation skills

About you
- Strategic thinker with strong leadership skills
- Ability to collaborate effectively across multiple teams and disciplines
- Proactive in driving continuous improvement and innovation
- Comfortable working in a dynamic, fast-paced environment

Qualifications
- Degree qualified in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Controls or a similar discipline